Reconsidering Military Identity

David and Mady Segal reconsider the traditional formulations of the military profession.

The research argues that there is a need to expand beyond a definition of the profession of the armed services that includes only active duty officers to also accommodate non-commissioned officers and members of the reserve components. Other research on military identity has examined how soldiers self-identify and finds that family identities are highly salient for soldiers, suggesting a need for policies that encourage the compatibility of family and military roles.